Realising I Could Get Help for Health Issues Here Was A Game Changer

This post is Sponsored by Ask Your Pharmacist

2017 was the year of sickness for our family, and I’m not just referring to the kids. Our son ended up in hospital twice with 2 very serious cases of respiratory distress and it is still unclear what caused it. We had the bad influenza hit all of our kids and hubby over winter and I had a headache come on that lasted for 3 months straight.

You really do realise what you take for granted when you or your kids get sick. With a family of 5 I swear at any given time at least one of us is sick with something and the management of that sickness seems to fall on me as the mum.

It wasn’t until my son got really sick this year that I started to realise the kind of help I could get from my local pharmacist.

I will never forget the moment we took him to the ED at our local hospital. As soon as they laid eyes on him they could see he was very unwell and he was rushed straight to resuscitation. He then spent the next 9 hours in ED while they were trying to stabilise his breathing. Once it was stable, there were another 3 days in hospital with constant medication before we could go home.  Once we got home we had to administer more medication for the following weeks and months.

It’s very overwhelming as a parent to have a child get so sick and need constant monitoring when you get home from hospital in case they have a relapse. We were given a script to go and get more medication for him from our local pharmacy and it was so helpful to be able to talk to them about what all the medication means and how it can affect his body.

As a result of this experience, medication management is something that has become a big part of being a mum for me.

We now have a little pack of medication for my 3 year old we never leave home without and it has taken me a little while to get my head around what everything is, how it works and how it might impact his little body. The pharmacist has been very helpful in providing guidance and reminded me that I could come back anytime for health advice for me and the kids.

At that moment, a light bulb went off.  Pharmacists are not only qualified and see a whole range of health problems, but they’re easy to access, close to all those key points like home, school and work, and can help me with a whole range of different things when it comes to looking after my family.

Here are three ways our pharmacist has been an invaluable help to our family

1. Guidance and support for medication management

For the past 10 years I have watched my mum be the consistent person across all of nana’s health management.  I remember mum spending so many days talking to pharmacists to help her understand the medication my nana is on and ensure there is a good plan for her health.

When I look back now, I can see how important it must have been for mum to have access to this advice.

When I think about my own ‘headache saga’ this year, I can see parallels in terms of how my local pharmacist was there to plug my knowledge gaps around my own health & medication plans.

2. Providing consultation on the right over the counter medications

After a course of antibiotics, I scored a lovely thrush infection in the middle of summer in Brisbane and then needed to get some help with that.

As much as I love Google, I want somebody educated telling me what’s going on and if there could be an issue with clashing medications.  Before going to the doctor I went and saw a local pharmacist and I am very glad I did, because through our conversation, I found out one of the medications I was taking could react with the treatment I was going to ask for, so I ended up going with a different option they recommended which wouldn’t have adverse reactions. 

3. Minor ailments

I can’t even count the number of times when my children have not been well and I’ve sought help from my local pharmacist about thread worms, head lice, ear infections, hayfever, eczema and itchy eyes….(I mean when are our kids not sick?)

Thread worms in particular have been an issue in our household and I have consulted my local pharmacist a number of times about the different options available to treat them.

There are constant small health issues all of the time in our family and having a place I can pop into at any time of the day and get professional help right then and there for my kids and those I care for is a godsend.

So, when it comes to your family’s health, my advice is this: save yourself the anxiety of frantic google searches, and just pop into your local pharmacy!

Find out about the range of services and advice your community pharmacy can offer,and then find a great local pharmacy near you the next time you need some health help!!

 

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